Chapter 247

How is it that Three-Eyes always pops up like a lingering ghost?

The next moment, Lin Shuyou found himself hoping that Three-Eyes would encounter some mishap inside the Taoist temple.

But soon, that thought sparked a feeling of guilt within Lin Shuyou.

He was good-natured at heart; although Three-Eyes was indeed detestable, he didn't deserve death, and Lin Shuyou shouldn't curse him like that.

Immediately, all distracting thoughts were banished from Lin Shuyou's mind.

He suddenly realized that with Three-Eyes' capabilities, it was impossible for him to fail in a place like this.

Ahead, Zhao Yi retracted his gaze and ran into the temple.

Lin Shuyou, meanwhile, lowered his head and began recording in his notebook.

Brother Bin once joked that Three-Eyes was their unofficial logistics captain.

But that was only because Brother Xiaoyuan was there to keep him suppressed; regardless, he was still a formidable person who shouldn't be underestimated.

There were five people just now: two men and three women. The old lineup consisted of Three-Eyes, Xu Ming, and Sun Yan.

Xu Ming's severed arm had recovered, though he didn't know how; Sun Yan was on the beast-taming path, and he couldn't discern any changes in her.

The other two women were likely new additions. Although he had only seen their backs, their silhouettes were remarkably similar, leading him to suspect they were twins.

Three-Eyes seemed very adept at handling women.

Lin Shuyou couldn't understand why so many girls would be attracted to someone as effeminate as Three-Eyes.

It seemed this was all he could record.

With another team, Lin Shuyou might have approached for a closer look, or even sneaked into the temple. But facing Three-Eyes, he felt there was a very high probability of being discovered if he tried.

Oh, and one more thing: the slit on Three-Eyes' forehead was gone.

Lin Shuyou felt this needed to be noted emphatically. The last time they parted ways in Lijiang, Three-Eyes mentioned he was going to attempt a daring experiment: transferring the Life-Death Slit to his heart.

He must have succeeded.

Now, he could not only activate the Life-Death Slit but also maintain his physical condition.

This guy was truly skilled, with profound abilities. It was only because he was previously forced to choose one over the other that he had appeared dishevelled.

Now, he was a formidable opponent, strong in body and far from simple in mind.

Lin Shuyou couldn't help but sigh inwardly: "I really should have found a chance to kill him back then."

To A-You's surprise, this time, no feeling of guilt arose in his heart.

Acolyte: "Because that thought of yours is a form of recognition and praise for him."

Lin Shuyou: "I don't like that guy."

Acolyte: "You must separate personal feelings from official matters."

Lin Shuyou: "Do you think there's still a chance for us to cooperate this time?"

Acolyte: "That depends on whether the objective of this 'wave' yields a substantial enough reward."

Lin Shuyou: "Only Brother Xiaoyuan can decide that."

Acolyte: "Exactly. So you must hide your identity well and not let him know we've arrived yet."

Continue to hide, continue to wait.

Suddenly, Lin Shuyou saw Zhao Yi run out, covered in blood, then fall to the ground with a thud.

Two Taoist priests pursued him, approaching with drawn swords.

Lin Shuyou was momentarily stunned, thinking to himself: "Did something really go wrong?"

Acolyte: "He's pretending, trying to lure you in."

Lin Shuyou lowered his head. Under the gaze of his vertical pupils, layers of invisible waves appeared on the ground before him, originating from where Three-Eyes lay.

"Indeed, he's probing for my location."

Lin Shuyou no longer hesitated and chose to leave immediately.

Zhao Yi, who had been lying face down, raised his head. He first glanced in the direction where Lin Shuyou had been hidden, then clapped his hands as he stood up.

The two "pursuing" Taoist priests stood there, their faces ashen, completely devoid of life.

Zhao Yi waved his hand, and the two Taoist priests fell backward, motionless.

Sun Yan walked over to Zhao Yi. Around her neck was a colorful python, its belly distended, lazily flicking its tongue.

The bird in the sky, summoned, spiraled down and landed on Sun Yan's wrist.

While in the sky, the bird had appeared normal, but upon closer inspection, its eyes were a dull, lifeless white, and its neck had been repaired with gold thread, as if it had been broken and then mended.

Sun Yan: "What a waste."

It was supposed to be the team's lookout, yet someone had gotten so close without it detecting anything.

Zhao Yi: "It's already dead; what's the point of scolding it?"

Sun Yan: "I've always treated it as if it were still alive."

"Deceiving yourself is pointless." Zhao Yi reached out and stroked the python's belly. "Looks like it's well-fed."

Sun Yan: "Yes, it'll take at least three days to digest."

"No worries, there's still time." Zhao Yi flicked the invitation card in his hand. "The Demon Sealing Convention is in five days."

Sun Yan: "I'm worried that if I let it keep eating, I won't be able to control it."

"It's fine. It never feared you in the first place; it only fears me."

Zhao Yi scratched the python under its chin. Intense malice glinted in the snake's eyes, but Zhao Yi paid no mind, even smiling.

A pair of twin sisters emerged. Behind them, a fire was gradually spreading.

Zhao Yi: "Is it handled?"

Liang Yan: "It's handled."

Liang Li: "There were so many remains beneath. Just looking at the surface, it was truly hard to tell that this Taoist temple had committed so many atrocities."

Zhao Yi: "That's why the river pushed us here."

Liang Yan: "Don't we need to go after him immediately to help Xu Ming?"

Zhao Yi: "No need. That guy bears malice towards me, but no killing intent."

White Crane True Monarch's concealment was impeccable, but the emotional shift in Lin Shuyou after spotting Zhao Yi was something Zhao Yi could sense.

The Life-Death Slit was just that mysterious, possessing extremely keen perceptive abilities.

Zhao Yi: "When I got this invitation, I was already thinking that other teams might also be participating in this 'wave.' Now it's almost certain.

"That guy must be someone sent by another team to observe the others.

"Let Xu Ming have a brief clash with him; it'll be a good chance to gauge each other's strength."

Liang Li: "Other teams, so they're competitors?"

Liang Yan: "Shouldn't we take this opportunity to eliminate our competitors?"

The two sisters spoke with great confidence, but Zhao Yi didn't mind, knowing that they had the backing to make such statements.

If he hadn't been lucky enough to trick them into a bet and win, they wouldn't have agreed to follow him on this river journey.

Zhao Yi patiently explained:

"We are definitely among the fastest teams, but the fact that their team can already send out scouts to gather information proves they completed their initial objective and obtained the invitation faster than us.

"Aren't such opponents worthy of careful treatment?"

The two sisters nodded upon hearing this.

Zhao Yi licked his lips and let out a whistle.

Liang Yan placed a cigarette in his mouth, while Liang Li rubbed her fingertips together, lighting it for him.

The older sister asked, "Enjoying yourself?"

Zhao Yi nodded, "Of course, I'm a normal man too."

The younger sister reminded him, "You still have six more times."

Ten times lighting a cigarette was an additional condition of that bet.

Zhao Yi: "I'll cherish them, but I won't be stingy."

Older sister: "We won't marry just one man. You, Zhao of Jiujiang, can only choose one of us to propose to."

Younger sister: "Have you decided which one you'll choose?"

The ten cigarette lightings were an extra condition proposed by Zhao Yi, while marriage was the extra condition proposed by the sisters.

Zhao Yi: "Whichever one survives in the end, that's the one I'll choose."

Older sister: "Alright."

Younger sister: "What if both of us survive?"

Zhao Yi: "Then we'll play rock-paper-scissors or flip a coin."

Older sister: "Actually, there's another way: both of us marry you."

Younger sister: "Exactly."

Zhao Yi: "I, Zhao of Jiujiang, at least need to maintain some dignity. Behind closed doors, I can even call my family the Dragon King's lineage. How could I possibly become a live-in son-in-law?

"If this river journey truly succeeds, what would I become? The Dragon King's Live-in Son-in-Law?"

The sisters said nothing more.

"Hmm..." Zhao Yi seemed to have thought of someone. "Ha, well, it's your bad luck. Not only did you get on the wrong 'bus,' but you also got on too late. Otherwise, there's someone who could offer such an opportunity."

Older sister: "Who?"

Younger sister: "Which one?"

"Never mind, let's not talk about him. You wouldn't have a chance anyway; you're too old."

The sisters exchanged glances. They were in the prime of their youth; how could they possibly be considered old?

"Besides, you can't compare to her."

Older sister: "Is 'she' a woman? Are you also interested in her?"

Younger sister: "There's a story there."

Zhao Yi shrugged, "This story is quite remarkable; it almost got me killed in the first 'wave'."

A senior elder in his family, based on a whim from a dream, had actually started plotting to wipe out the Dragon King's lineage and seize their assets, nearly causing the Jiujiang Zhao family to become extinct first.

Older sister: "Tell us."

Younger sister: "We'd love to hear it."

"It's an embarrassing story, nothing worth talking about. When this 'wave' is over and we go back, I'll have Old Man Tian tell you about it."

Zhao Yi blew out a smoke ring, flicked the cigarette in his hand, and looked towards the depths of the dense forest ahead, continuing:

"Once this cigarette is finished, we'll go over there. We'll give them the time it takes to smoke a cigarette to fight."

Lin Shuyou was running, and he noticed someone pursuing him from behind and to the side.

"Acolyte, how many people?"

"Just one. The others didn't follow. I suspect he was deliberately sent to test you."

"A test?"

Lin Shuyou stopped. As he lowered his chin, patterns and markings immediately appeared on his body.

These markings then began to change, all turning black and obscuring both his face and physique.

Acolyte: "Are you sure you want to fight?"

Lin Shuyou: "Given Three-Eyes' character, this is indeed likely a test. Therefore, I must accept it."

Acolyte: "He instructed you not to engage in fighting before he left."

"That's because Brother Xiaoyuan didn't know Three-Eyes was also here."

"Make your own decision. I'm only here to help you fight."

"Trust me, when dealing with Three-Eyes, you have to suppress him at every step; only then will he become docile and compliant."

"Alright, then I'll give him a beating."

Blood-red appeared in his vertical pupils, then cracked and spread. White Crane True Monarch's aura was no longer hidden; it was fully unleashed.

Although they had close contact before, Lin Shuyou wasn't worried that Xu Ming would recognize his aura, as he had already transformed from a General Head into a True Monarch.

To Xu Ming, his current self would be completely unfamiliar, someone he had certainly never seen.

And indeed it was so. Xu Ming stood before his target, sensing the opponent's aura and looking confused.

He only felt that his own knowledge was limited, unable to discern the opponent's origins, unaware that all other True Monarchs were still suppressed at the bottom of the sea, and the one before him was the only True Monarch currently walking the world.

There was no exchange, no greeting, no opening remarks.

Both were specifically dispatched by their respective teams and had no diplomatic authority.

Xu Ming spread his arms. His previously severed arm had been fitted with a wooden prosthetic limb, and as he infused it with his vital energy, green buds sprouted from the prosthesis, overflowing with vitality.

The current Xu Ming was even stronger than before his arm was severed.

Lin Shuyou drew his twin maces, his arms hanging low and swung to his sides.

"Buzz!"

"Buzz!"

Both moved simultaneously and clashed together.

One wanted to gauge the opponent's strength, the other wanted to display his own, so both sides fought almost at full power from the very beginning.

"Bang." "Bang!" "Bang!"

After three consecutive swings of the maces, Xu Ming found himself at a disadvantage.

To his surprise, he found that he was being suppressed by his opponent in the very area where he was most confident: raw strength.

As soon as they clashed, he knew he was no match for the person before him.

Therefore, Xu Ming realistically shifted to pure defense, both to preserve himself as much as possible and to give his opponent more room to display their abilities.

Lin Shuyou didn't disappoint Xu Ming; as he continuously swung his maces, his figure flickered and shifted positions relentlessly.

Under the moonlight, afterimages appeared, making it seem, to the naked eye, as if Lin Shuyou was attacking Xu Ming from all directions.

Each time, Xu Ming used his wooden arm to block. The wooden arm shattered repeatedly, only to restore itself again and again, as if its vitality was endless, constantly overflowing with extreme efficiency to wherever it was needed.

Lin Shuyou could only sigh inwardly, "This guy can really take a beating," which gave him a feeling akin to facing Runsheng.

The difference was that Runsheng not only endured beatings but also hit harder.

This guy was only half of Runsheng.

Acolyte: "His legs are sinking into the ground. Check what's happening underneath."

Lin Shuyou paused his attack. Instead of swinging his mace at Xu Ming, he slammed it into the ground in front of him.

"Boom!"

The earth exploded open, revealing strands of roots originating from Xu Ming's feet. It turned out he had been secretly using roots extending from beneath his feet to absorb the vitality of nearby plants for replenishment.

Even if Lin Shuyou's attacks could make Xu Ming's consumption greater than his replenishment, it still significantly prolonged the fight.

Lin Shuyou chanted a spell, and wads of withered black energy overflowed from his body. Some sank into the ground, while the rest condensed onto his twin maces.

As the attacks continued, Xu Ming noticed his wooden arm beginning to blacken. Simultaneously, the roots beneath his feet started to wither, significantly reducing their ability to draw vitality from the surroundings.

The Acolyte naturally had many tricks up its sleeve; techniques that severed vitality were precisely what it, once a Ghost King, excelled at.

Large beads of sweat continuously appeared on Xu Ming's face. The rapidly deteriorating situation made his heart restless.

Fortunately, just then, he sensed four auras approaching from behind. As if afraid the combatants wouldn't notice, the bird in the sky let out an eerie cry.

Acolyte: "Their people are here."

Lin Shuyou: "Leave?"

Acolyte: "It feels like something's missing; it's not impactful enough."

Lin Shuyou: "Then a final strike?"

The Acolyte gave no response, which was taken as tacit approval.

Lin Shuyou intentionally dispersed most of the force from his mace strike. Little of it landed on Xu Ming; the vast majority struck the surroundings, kicking up a cloud of fallen leaves and dust that obscured vision.

Immediately, Lin Shuyou took out two talisman needles and plunged them into his own body.

A sensation of pain instantly surged, and along with it, the divine power within his body.

"Bang!"

A powerful mace strike slammed down with a resounding crash.

Xu Ming's defenses were already riddled with holes from the Acolyte's magic, and this strike, several times more powerful than before, completely shattered all his remaining defenses.

Lin Shuyou didn't intend to kill him, but before leaving, he deliberately poked a dent into the ground next to Xu Ming's head with one of his maces.

He didn't have to kill him, but he needed to leave evidence that he *could* have.

By the time Zhao Yi and the others arrived, the dust had just settled. Xu Ming lay on the ground in a utterly wretched state, his limbs paralyzed and twitching, blood continuously oozing from the corners of his mouth.

Zhao Yi hadn't expected Xu Ming to last less than the time it took to smoke a cigarette.

The clearly deliberate dent near Xu Ming's head felt like a mockery and insult aimed at Zhao Yi and his entire team.

Liang Yan: "This is an insult."

Liang Li: "We must retaliate."

Zhao Yi: "He didn't kill him."

Liang Yan: "We don't have to kill him either."

Liang Li: "Just poke a hole like that."

Purple marks appeared on the twin sisters' faces, as if some power sealed within their bodies was becoming uncontrollable due to their anger.

They were Zhao Yi's strongest trump card at the moment.

It was precisely because of their addition that Zhao Yi had completely relegated his two original subordinates, Xu Ming and Sun Yan, to team support roles.

Zhao Yi believed that if he truly let them act, they would certainly cause a massive impact.

But he was Zhao Yi after all, and reason always held the absolute upper hand for him.

He simply reached out and lightly slapped his own cheek.

"Slap!" "Slap!" "Slap!"

The two sisters watched him in confusion.

"If your skill is inferior, and you get beaten, then you get beaten. You deserved it."

As he spoke, Zhao Yi used his foot to stomp the deliberately poked dent back into place.

"The other side is probably planning to form an alliance with us and cooperate."

Liang Yan: "Are you comforting yourself?"

Liang Li: "We won't laugh at you."

Zhao Yi thumped his forehead. "We sent someone to scout, but they directly demonstrated their power. This is to lay the groundwork for future cooperation, aiming to subdue us and gain the initiative, or even leadership.

"They must know me, be clear about my background, and even feel a slight apprehension towards me."

Liang Yan: "Here we go again."

Liang Li: "Still trying to salvage his dignity."

Ignoring the sisters' sarcastic remarks, Zhao Yi muttered to himself, "Who on earth could it be?"

Many people in the martial arts world knew his name; Zhao Yi of Jiujiang's formidable reputation had long since spread.

Not to mention earlier events, just the time in Lijiang when he held the shattered jade, fleeing while ambushing and killing his pursuers, he must have made countless enemies.

That fellow named Li didn't even reveal his identity when besieged in the guesthouse, instead making Zhao Yi call out his own name.

"Sigh, I really envy that Li fellow in this regard; when it comes to identifying enemies, he makes it so simple and straightforward."

Guesthouse.

Li Zhuiyuan had just finished reviewing the files of the three patients and Wu Xin's first-person account of the incident.

There was nothing remarkable about the three patients' files; their family backgrounds were ordinary and unremarkable.

The incident Wu Xin described... was also quite ordinary.

In terms of bizarreness, it wouldn't even rank highly in the eyes of experienced engineers.

The incident began during construction when machinery unearthed a black liquid. Initially, everyone was pleasantly surprised, thinking they had struck it rich and found oil.

Although a geological survey had been conducted before the project began, it was highly unlikely to unearth oil at such a shallow depth without prior detection.

But everyone likes to dream, after all.

Unfortunately, although the "oil" sprayed high, it only lasted for a short while before stopping. Moreover, the black liquid quickly vanished, as if it had completely evaporated.

Although everyone was puzzled, they didn't take it seriously, and construction resumed shortly after. It wasn't until they started calling for workers to hand over tasks that the three patients exhibited disjointed responses.

According to Wu Xin's conjecture, these three individuals must have been closest when the "oil" erupted, almost completely drenched by the black liquid. It was as if they had inhaled an overdose of some kind of toxin and reacted adversely.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't agree. For ordinary people, the quantity of such a peculiar substance wouldn't matter, as even a few drops would be overwhelming.

Combining this with the symptoms of the three patients, Li Zhuiyuan formed a bold conjecture.

His conjecture was that everyone present at the time who was splashed by the "oil" had actually undergone a change.

The only difference was that unlike the three currently hospitalized individuals, whose original memories were erased and replaced with someone else's, the others appeared normal because after their memories were erased, their own original memories were re-implanted.

This was the most extreme and worst-case scenario, implying that even if they showed no symptoms and appeared normal, they had all essentially been marked.

This line of thinking was a habit Li Zhuiyuan had developed after enduring so many "waves": lay out all the clues and first connect the worst-case, least probable scenarios.

The youth decided that tomorrow, when Wu Xin came to pick him up for the hospital, he would need to give Wu Xin a thorough check to see if his memories showed any signs of alteration.

If his conjecture proved correct, then these construction workers could become vessels for the deepest entity of this "wave" to resurface, ultimately striking back at him when he believed he had won, or simply slipping away silently.

Li Zhuiyuan got out of bed, went to the bathroom to splash water on his face, and looked at himself in the mirror as he dried it with a towel.

The ability to modify memories wasn't incomprehensible; the secret arts from Wei Zhengdao's black book that he possessed could actually achieve the same.

But simultaneously modifying the memories of several people, dozens, hundreds, or even more... that was truly chilling.

What kind of entity could possess such terrifying mind control abilities?

Deep within Mount Qingcheng, in a sunless, deep valley, two Taoists, one old and one young, were making their way.

"Master, it's been quite lively on the mountain recently."

"Normal. When certain things emerge into the world, they trigger such natural phenomena."

"Is this a natural phenomenon? It's different from the descriptions I've read in books."

"An unusual movement appearing in accordance with the will of the Heavenly Dao—what else could it be but a natural phenomenon? Humans, too, are one of its manifestations."

The master and disciple stopped before an ice-bound black pool. Cracking sounds emanated continuously from the ice, as cracks and bulges multiplied. A chilling aura gradually began to reveal itself.

"Disciple, I fortunately discovered this place after falling into a crevice when I was a child. After waiting all these years, I've finally witnessed its awakening. Now, it is a shared opportunity for both you and I."

"But Father..."

"Hm?"

"Master, since the Heavenly Dao dislikes this, aren't we acting against Heaven's will by doing so?"

"Are you afraid?"

"I... I truly am afraid."

"Don't be afraid, for the one sleeping inside was once the person most recognized by the Heavenly Dao in their own era."

"The person most recognized by the Heavenly Dao... who is that?"

"Come, Disciple, let us bow in homage together."

The young Taoist followed his master in bowing. As he bent down, he heard his master's pious voice beside his ear:

"Greetings, Dragon King!"